1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to signal communication apparatus and methods.
2. Description of the Related Art
Applications for communicating circuits operating at high power voltages (even hundreds of volts) with circuits rather operating at low power voltages are known, in which there exists a galvanic isolation which increases the safety of the user who comes in contact with the low voltage interface.
Typically, the applications using such isolation are those related to the power suppliers which are to be directly connected to the mains, as well as the industrial applications in which driving loads at high voltages occurs.
A typical example are the “high side switch drivers”, in which driving switches feed inductive loads by means of high voltages. In such a case, the potential differences that may dynamically develop between the low voltage part and the high voltage part may also reach thousands of volts per microsecond.
For transmitting signals, a typical solution is to use optocouplers which are however cumbersome and have performances degrading over time.
For such a reason, alternative solutions having more reliable performances over time are becoming popular and use integrated microantenna systems, i.e., integrated coupled inductors, as shown in US Patent Publication No. 2008/0311862. The coupled antennas are each integrated on one of the two devices and an insulating material is introduced therebetween. The insertion of a structure as described in the aforementioned patent publication highly affects the costs and the overall volume.